How a Drinking Song, “The Beer Barrel Polka,” Became a Wisconsin Sports Anthem

During the seventh-inning stretch at a Milwaukee Brewers’ baseball game, you won’t hear the traditional “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” fanfare, instead something nearer and dearer to fans can be heard roaring throughout the stands. The Beer Barrel Polka,” also known as “Roll Out the Barrel,” has been the rallying cry among the True Blue Brew Crew since the team’s debut season in Milwaukee in 1970. But the song itself predates the team by nearly five decades.